Sigma Draconis is a single, Sun-like star in Draco, a little smaller and cooler than the Sun and close enough to be seen with the naked eye on a dark night.
At a glance
| type | orange star (class K) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 18.8 light-years (5.76 pc) |
| its light left it | 18.8 years ago |
| luminosity | 0.43 × the Sun |
| radius | 0.78 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 5,300 K |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Sigma Draconis
Sigma Draconis, also named Alsafi, is an orange main-sequence star of class K, only a little cooler than the Sun. It shines steadily and has no known stellar companion, which makes it one of the simplest Sun-like stars nearby to study.
Stars like it, near the Sun and similar to it, are natural targets in searches for planets and for signs of life, since they offer long, stable lifetimes and modest radiation. It lies far to the north on the sky, near the pole, and from northern latitudes never sets.
What you see in the piece
With HUMAN EYE on it is a faint point in Draco, near the limit of what the eye can see. Close up its colour is a shade more orange than the Sun’s.
Questions
Is Sigma Draconis like the Sun?
Broadly, yes. It is an orange star (class K) with a luminosity of 0.43 × the Sun and a radius of 0.78 × the Sun.